This invention relates to a secure portable device for storing and accessing patient records.
Accurate, accessible and shareable health information is a well accepted prerequisite of good healthcare. Patient safety, public safety, continuity of patient care, healthcare economics, clinical research and outcomes analysis are adversely affected by the reduced quality of health information available. The prior art has attempted to solve these problems in the healthcare field in not entirely satisfactory ways. The following patents are illustrative of the prior art attempts at medical record storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,488 to Eberhardt discloses a computer system and method for programming data of an individual's medical histories on a storage device. The programs are designed to record information on smart cards such as patient identifier and a running medical history plus pharmaceutical information. U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,690 to Reeves discloses an electronic storage memory card of a particular type which is capable of having digital binary data stored within its surface and which is easily carried on a person in a wallet or purse.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,731,629 to Woodward discloses a personal data storage device for storing information such as medical records and a system for storing and reading such information from the storage device.
Also of some interest are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,932,759 and 5,825,882 and patent publications 2002/0128856 and 2002/0120470.
Recently, an attempt was made to embed a 32 k chip beneath a person's skin with patient information that was uploaded to the chip. The significant disadvantage to this format was that it required surgery with a cost factor and the information on the chip was limited. Furthermore, since the filing of the parent patent application (Ser. No. 10/605,127) of this patent application, additional solutions have been proposed such as those presented in published Canadian Patent Application Serial No. 2,545,131, which patent reference is incorporated herein by reference.
The unique device of this invention is not disclosed or suggested in the prior art and provides a novel solution to medical record problems.